Home guards gear up for intensified agitation

By A Staff Reporter

IMPHAL | Sept 6

The Manipur Home Guard Employee Welfare Association has pledged to take up intense agitation from October 2 if the government fails to increase their monthly allowance following the Supreme Court verdict within this month. 

Speaking to media persons today at Manipur Press Club, Imphal the association’s president, Y. Mangi said that a memorandum has been submitted to the chief minister on August 30 demanding to pay the duty allowance of home guard personnel at a minimum of the pay to which the police constable of the state are entitled.

Increasing of their monthly allowance by Rs. 3000 cannot be accepted as it is very less to support a family by just a monthly income of Rs.5000+3000, he added.

The president expressed hope that the government will give positive response within this month considering the hardship faced by the home guard personnel in running their families.

Nagaland police, retired superintendent of police (SP), Potsangbam Sonamani, who was also present in the press meet, said that the current monthly allowance of a Nagaland home guard personnel is Rs. 15,650.

It is very unfortunate that the home guard personnel of the state which is the neighbour state of Nagaland is currently getting a monthly allowance of only Rs. 5,000, he added.

Moreover the neighbour state Nagaland has established Nagaland Civil Defence and home guard has framed separate service rule in 2016 and its own cadre with effect from 1988, said the retired SP.

Sonamani said that the home guard personnel of the state are going through immense hardship in managing their livelihood with a meagre monthly allowance that they are currently getting.

Stating that the nature of duties performed by home guard is equivalent to the duty being performed by the regular police, Sonamani said that the need for enhancement of their duty allowance stands highly justified.

He appealed to the chief minister, the governor and the officials of home department to look into the matter of the home guards and take up positive action to their demands.